July 2004

Der Spiegel reports on Gazprom City: the future, rather evocatively named St. Petersburg headquarters for Russian energy giant Gazprom, currently the subject of a high-profile design competition.

This new "city," however, will just be a cluster of high-tech administrative buildings, although the main tower "is to rise at least 300 meters (985 feet) into the sky and symbolize the growing power of the firm. It is also to be situated just opposite the famed 18th century Smolny Cathedral on the Neva River in historic St. Petersburg."This location has proved rather controversial.

Because Gazprom City "is part of a longer range plan by Russian President Vladimir Putin to boost the prestige of his home city," however, it seems unlikely that the project will be held back. This, after all, may be St. Petersburg's newest architectural moment: "Much of the development that has occurred in recent years has benefited Moscow, whereas St. Petersburg has seen little change. Only recently, with the celebration of the city's 300th birthday in 2003, did the city begin awakening from its centuries-long sleep. But even as high-tech projects and a new theater designed by Sir Norman Foster have gone ahead, major changes to the city center, with its numerous UNESCO-protected royal residences and palaces, are considered taboo."

In any case, the winner of the competition will be announced on December 1st, and the actual tower should be fully constructed by 2016.Until that time, here's a quick bet that at least one person out there – whether they're a novelist, a filmmaker, a graphic artist or even just a refreshingly ambitious architectural student – will design, write, film, or draw some futuristic sci-fi dystopia called Gazprom City, simply because the name is so cool. Of course, you'll probably get sued. But think Perdido Street Station – described by this reviewer as "Metropolis meeting Gormenghast in the heart of Dickensian London" – goes to Renaissance Paris via, perhaps, Nostromo... and you get the picture.So: Gazprom City. Artists and writers, show us what will happen there.

(Image credits: In order, these are designs by Daniel Libeskind, Jean Nouvel, Herzog & de Meuron, OMA, Massimiliano Fuksas, and RMJM. Story found via things magazine).

Oh, but if you're going to do grandiose corporate monumentalism one should at least do it with a degree of megalomania, of which there seems to be a fair proportion here. The Libeskind seems the most magnificently horrible.

In a letter to Governor released Thursday, the St. Petersburg Union of Architects said the tower will destroy the unique harmony of the city’s skyline and might result in St. Petersburg’s exclusion from the UNESCO list of world heritage sites.

“The low skyline makes the verticals of St. Petersburg especially magnificent... the conservation of inimitable silhouettes of its spires and domes is of great importance to town planning and spiritual importance,” reads the letter from the St. Petersburg Union of Architects.

“A 300-meter tower, more than twice as high as the Peter and Paul Cathedral and three times higher than St. Isaac’s and Smolny Cathedral, visible from all the main locations of the historical city center (even from Vasilievsky Island)…will bring the irreparable damage to the fragile skyline of the city as it will make all its verticals look almost toy-like,” the document continues. http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=18301

I'm gonna have to side with Gristle Sauce on this one. Architecture is a wonderful artform with limitless possibilities, but how often does such playful, grandiose architecture get built? How often do we people actually get to experience these provocative pieces of architecture (apart from fancy computer renderings)? Luckily more and more these days, with the current economic state of some parts of the world.

Honestly, though, I don't see whats so "absurd" about these buildings (with the exception of Libeskind's).

What most of you "fuck corporations" crowd do not realize is that Gazprom is not a private corporation. It is state owned and and plays a mayor role in Putin's plans to expand Russias economical/political influence.

Gazprom Winner is ‘Corn on the Cob’---it is the last one pictured here.

“It is a new economic symbol for St. Petersburg,” Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller told reporters at a ceremony at the company’s current St. Petersburg offices, where he and Governor Valentina Matviyenko announced the winning design by British architect RMJM.

full article from St. Petersburg Times http://www.times.spb.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=19671

having been in St. Petersburg as a tourist, it really is a wonderfully "untouched" city that evokes some of the best stereotypes of Old Russia, without much of the cold modernity of Moscow. but now it will forever bear the Mark of Putin (which is a lot of this is about anyways). just another modern pyramid, but it´s too bad they didn´t follow the egyptian example and build it *away* from the city center.

im glad i had a chance to visit st petersburg before they scarred it with an absolutely inappropriate skyscraper.

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BLDGBLOG ("building blog") is written by Geoff Manaugh. The opinions expressed here are my own; they do not reflect the views of my friends, editors, employers, publishers, or colleagues, with whom this blog is not affiliated. More.